ACC 711 Financial Statement Analysis I, MBA elective

This course provides a systematic framework for using financial statements in business analyses. It considers a comprehensive set of tools to analyze the information contained in financial statements and demonstrates how to use the information to evaluate financial performance. It addresses questions such as: (1) how do operating and financial decisions contribute to a firm’s return, (2) why does firm performance differ between competitors, (3) has the firm distorted the accounting numbers and how will this influence reported performance, and (4) how does the financial performance today predict future events, such as credit default.

Executive Education: Leading in the Age of Data

The flood of data–and data analytics courses–has created pressure to ‘know more’ before making decisions. At the same time, the pace of business continues to accelerate toward the speed of light. But, does more data mean better information and better outcomes? This course is designed for mid-to-senior level executives who need a clear, easy-to-apply process for determining which information is needed, where to get it, and how to apply it to the decisions that drive value creation for their organization. Being able to effectively navigate through conflicting data to determine which is accurate and relevant to the decision has never been more important. This program enables you to resolve many of the business decisions you’re challenged to address each day. Get ready to learn:

– Balance financial and non-financial metrics
– Determine the best blend of innovation investment with practices designed for sustainable performance
– Uncover the most effective non-traditional levers to drive value creation for your particular business
– Set the targets and metrics that will drive the right behaviors and optimize value creation

You’ll leave this program as an informed decision-maker with a solid grip on what data to use to provide better outcomes for your organization. Your back-to-work action plan can be implemented immediately to enable your company to be more agile and resilient.

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Case Materials 

[1] Gwen Yu and Tim Gray, “Succession at Samsung: The Proposed Merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T,” Harvard Business School case 117-036 (2016) [29].

[2] Gwen Yu, Chris Noe, and Joe Weber, “Microsoft’s a Quantive Acquisition,” Harvard Business School case 115-039 (2014) [10].

[3] Paul Healy, Gwen Yu, and Aldo Sesia, “Accounting for Virtual Goods at Zynga” Harvard Business School case 115-005 (2013) [15].

[4] Gwen Yu, Judy Mclellan, Chris Noe, and Joe Weber, “For-profit Higher Education: University of Phoenix,” Harvard Business School case 114-024 (2013) [13].

[5] Annette Mikes, Gwen Yu, and Dominique Hamel, “Auditing in the post-Sarbnanes-Oxley World” Harvard Business School technical note 112-059 (2011) [10].

[6] Annette Mikes, Gwen Yu, and Dominique Hamel, “Lehman Brothers and Repo 105,” Harvard Business School case 112-050 (2011) [18].

[7] Karthik Ramanna, Gwen Yu, and G.A Donovan, “China or the World? A Financial Reporting Strategy for Hong Kong,” Harvard Business School case 112-035 (2011) [25].

[8] Gwen Yu, “Bridging the GAAPs,” Harvard Business Schoolcase 111-114 (2011) [21].